Apparatus for treating oils



Slept 23, 1924. y 1,509,819

R. T. POLLOCK APPARATUS Fon TREATING oILs Filed auna' 25. 1924 a@ Q LMQ @77.0Q4MQ Patented Sept. 23, 1924.

UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE.

ROBERT T. POLLOCK, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OFSOUTH DAKOTA.

APPARATUS non. TREATING 0114s.

Application filed June-25, 1924. Serial No. 722,397.

/o whom t may concern f Beit known that I, ROBERT T. PoLLocK,

' a citizen of the United States, residing at paratus for Treating Oils, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for treating oils and refers more particularly to an apparatus employed. in a con-- tinuous process for cracking hydrocarbon oils to produce light hydrocarbons such as gasoline or thevlike. This application constitutes 'a continuation in part of my applicstion No. 411,913, filed September 22nd, 1 20.

Among the salient objects of the invention is the 'provision of an Improved conversion chamber adapted to receive oil and vapors from a heating zone and in which chamber carbon is collected, and one especially adapted for use in the cracking of heavy oil in which there is an excessive deposit of carbon in the reacting chamber.

More particularly it is an object of the present invention toovercome diiculties encountered by the formation of coke in the reacting chamber in continuous cracking processes, by the provision of a vertical reacting chamber vprovided` with carbon discharge means and with a plurality of vertically disposed residuumdraw-olf means.

'In the drawing, the iigure represents a side elevation partly in section showing diagrammatically a still equipped with a vertical reacting chamber illustrating my invention.

In the treating of hydrocarbon oils and particularly heavier oils such as Mexican and Californian gas oil, provision must be made for the accumulation of' carbon deposits in the vapor or reacting' zone during the cracking of the oil. As much as seven or eight times the amount of carbon is deosited in the vapor zone in the cracking of alifornian and Mexican oils as there is in mld-continent oils. To provlde an apparalthe apparatus here explained to meet these difficulties.

In carying out theprocess of cracking oils' the constancy of the temperature is exceedingly important as it very materially affects the quantity and character of the yield of distillate produced. I have found that by employing a vertical reacting chamber provided with vertically spaced residuum draw-off lines, it is possible to keep a substantially constant depth of liquid oil in the reacting chamber for desired periods while this liquid oil is. still undergoing cracking to maintain a uniform flow of vapors from the reacting chamber to the dephlegmator of a substantially uniform quality, thereby securing a substantially constant tempera-- ture control which cannot be readily secured when a horizontal reacting chamber is employed.

Referring to the drawing, the raw oil is introduced from any conventional source,

not shown, to the inlet pipe 1 into the top` of the dephlegmator 2 where it passes down 1n an opposed direction to'y the travel of the oil vapors and collects inthe lower leg 3 of the dephlegmator 2 and is directed therefrom by pipe 4 to the cracking tubes 5. The cracking or heating tubes 5 are mounted in thefurnaoe 6 which is preferably heated by means Aof gas burners 7. The oil, after being heated in the cracking tubes, passes through line 8, in which is placed a suitable throttle valve 9, to the vapor tank or reaction chamber 10.

In describing in detail the construction of the reacting chamber, it will be noted that the chamber is cylindrical in form hav ing a rounded top and bottom provided with large cleaning openings as shown at 11 and 12. The lower cleaning opening 12 is provided with a pivoted door 13 which may be swung down so that easy access can be had to the interior of the tank for cleaning. A residuum draw-off line 14 communicates with the lower portion of thechamber and is controlled by suitable throttle valve 15 by means of which the heavy residuum and suspended carbon may be drawn 0E as the ap-` paratus is being brought on stream. The reacting chamber is further provided with a lurality of vertically spaced residuum (Piraw-o lines 16, 17 and 18 provided with throttle valves 19, 20 and 21 respectively. As the length of a run increases the carbon accumulates in solid coke-like masses in the reacting chamber and the residuum draw-oif line 16 will .graduallybecome coked over by the deposits of carbon. When this occurs the next higher draw-off line may be brought into service and the liquid depth in the reactin chamber can thus be maintained sub-` lines results in the maintaining of a con-- stant surface area of the liquid in the chamber as well as a constant depth of liquid therein as the chamber is being progressively filled by the deposit of carbon. These features materially aid in maintaining a constant temperature and uniform run even after the vaporizing chamber has become largel charged with coke, inasmuch as the coke epositshave no effect on the quantity, surface area'or depth' of the liquid oil always present in the chamber and undergoing conversion. The large diameter of the reacting chamber facilitates the cleaning thereof as distinguished' from' the long, narrow tubes lying horizontally. A

The reacting chamber or tank is mounted within a heavily insulated enclosure 22. Fire brick, kieselguhr or other heat insulation may be used. From the top of the reacting chamber o r tank a vapor line 23 controlled by valve 24 connects the reacting chamber to the dephlegmator 2. n The vapor line is so arranged that any condensate forming therein will flow into the dephleg` mater and there combine with the raw oil to be re-treated in the cracking tubes. The oil vapors which are released in the reacting chamber and rise to the vapor line 23 are dephlegmated in the aerial dephle'gmato-r 2 by the mcomingraw oil and the lighter fractions thereofl pass from the dephlegmator 2 through vapor line 25 to the usual condenser 26 from which the distillate passes through line 27 to a conventional receiver 28 provided with draw-olf 29 controlled by throttle valve 30 and also provided with an uncondensi-ble gas outlet 31 controlled by valve 32. The valves 30 and 32 are also employed to regulate the ressure on the entire apparatus which may be maintained at substantially 100 pounds per square inch.

In operation, the oil after passing through the cracking tubes is at an approximate temperatur'e of 850 degrees F. and is introduced to the vertically disposed reacting chamber In testimony whereof I aiiix my s1 wherein the light oils vaporize and the heavier residuum and carbon are deposited, the vapors passing on to the dephlegmator 2, thence through the condenser and to the receiver as distillate. As the carbon deposits Lboth as to the product and the yield while `lthe chamber is being gradually filled with carbon.

I claim as my invention l. In an apparatus for converting oil, the combination with a furnace, of a continuous heating coil disposed therein through which oil is passed to be subjected to a cracking temperature, of an enlarged vertically disposed insulated expansion chamber located outside of said furnace, means for introducing the heated products of conversion from said heating coil to be discharged into the upper portion of said eX ansion chamber, a vapor discharge line lea lng from said expansion chamber near its upper end, a lurality of independently controlled resi ual draw-od lines leading from said expansion chamber at different vertical positions, indeendent means for controlling each draw-off ine, and a carbon discharge in the bottom' of said chamber, and means for controlling the discharge nf carbon therefrom.

' 2. In an apparatus for treating hydrocarbon oils, the combination with a furnace, of a continuous elongated cracking coil disposed withln said furnace, means for feeding oil to said coil to be subjected to a cracking heat, an enlarged vertically disposed tubular expansion chamber adjacent said fur` nace, an :insulating jacket around said chamber, means for dischargin heated oil from said cracking coil into sai expansion chamber .near the upper end thereof, a vapor discharge line from said chamber, a series of vertically spaced residual draw-off lines leading from said chamber at different vertical pomts, independent controlling valves in each of said lines whereby the residuum may be withdrawn from said chamber at di'em ent vertical positions as carbon accumulates therein, said chamber having near its lower end a carbon discharge, and means for openand closing said carbon discharge.

ature. ROBERT T. POLL K.

.Mamma 

